There’s something so simple and yet so satisfying by just lighting a candle. No joke I picked this up at The Dollar Tree last Saturday. I often feel as though my Throat Chakra is closed or at least partially blocked; I know that I need to speak more freely and say what’s on my heart more. I lit the candle and dove into my newest mask obsession…

This Deep Clean Detox Mask by Ever smells SO amazing!! I am typically a sheet mask girl, but slathering this mask on with a brush makes me feel fancy and it literally smells like a spa treatment. And it works!! I think I should do it 2x a week, but I’m lucky if I make time for myself once a week. It really helps with clogged pores and small breakouts– especially if you’re like me and maybe forget to totally take off all your makeup from the day. OOPS.

I paint it on and then really “try” to relax for 10-20 minutes. I then use a warm wet cloth to remove the mask.

I’ve also been using “purple shampoo” which seems to be all the rage right now to achieve that icy blonde look on the mane. I saw this at Sephora and I chuckled at the name. Bust your Brass. It smells SO SO good and if you know me, I am huge on things having good scents. It also leaves my hair super soft which I appreciate!

Post workout face (holy Zumba Strong!!), but check out that blonde hair! This is a day after using this shampoo/conditioner.

I also just ordered my first Beauty Counter items! I’ve heard amazing reviews on this company and their products and Joe’s cousin signed on with them. I needed to replace my eye makeup remover, as I was running low on Mary Kay, and I thought I’d try it out. SO happy that I did! It smells amazing and feels so refreshing, not oily and really works on removing mascara! I also had to try a lippy because, well, I have a lipstick/gloss obsession. I love this subtle mint flavor/feel. It’s so hydrating too! I got the color “Brunch.” I will be shopping from Mary again soon!

Goodness knows that I could use an actual facial, in fact I have my eyes fixed on a Hydrafacial (This treatment offers the perfect skin care solution for the time-challenged, by bathing the skin in rich antioxidants and deeply hydrating hyaluronic acid. It starts with deep cleansing and gentle exfoliation, followed by painless extractions, and ends with a burst of hydration.—Relax the Spa)

But the reality is, spa days are far and few between. So what’s a mama to do?

Try all the at-home masks she can!

Here are a few of my favorites.

These guys have been on rotation for awhile now; a friend told me about them and she didn’t steer me wrong! They’re great to keep in the refrigerator for an extra cooling effect. They’re SUPER inexpensive and I feel like the do a little something for my under eyes.

My husband and kids think I look ridiculous, but hey if I can help any wrinkles, (that may or may not be caused by them! Just kidding, I’m sure the dogs are mostly to blame!)

For Christmas my future sister in law gifted me these gold eye patches and OMG. Talk about a luxe treatment!! If you are looking to splurge a bit and get an even better effect–try these!

I still can’t decide which way to put them on…I like them both ways! Christmas morning sipping on some Cocoa.

The last facial I did get at a spa was on my 37th birthday in July and the girl told me that ANYTHING in Korean skin care was the way to go.

My friend Kristin hooked me up with some of these from a shop where she works, and I LOVED them! I then spotted them at Walgreens and just stocked up.

I’ve been trying to make it a habit to use them once a week minimum and I must say that I believe that it’s helping my skin stay hydrated, clearer and for sure getting a more “glowy” look with my makeup.

The “bubble sheet mask” was a bit crazy! It did bubble up quite a bit and was rather foamy. I will say it wasn’t one of my favorites, I really love the gold masks and the pearl!

What Masks are Great for:

before date nights

in the mornings before applying makeup (especially the eye patches!)

Late mommy nights or partying the night before? Use these!

at night before bed to relax

any time you’re feeling stressed out and need to “take a pause” from kids, dogs, LIFE!

I am such a girlie girl. I absolutely love makeup and all things beauty related. I am not a beauty guru by any means, and I was brought up in a “less is more” household. I was raised not really wearing any makeup. Bonne Bell chapsticks, a little cover girl blush and my eye lash curler got me through high school. In college I overplucked my brows and wore way too much white/shiny eye shadow. Thanks to Britney Spears!

However, as I have gotten older I do find the joy in applying makeup and using great skincare products since I am 37, not 22. I have never had Botox, but am not against it.

This past Spring I decided to switch from Mary Kay skincare to a more natural, botanical line which happens to be a Stella & Dot sister company. Ever Skin Care has done nothing but better my skin!! I haven’t had any crazy breakouts and honestly feel like my skin actually has a glow to it. I do use makeup wipes to take off my makeup with every night and I just started using this Trio into my routine. I love the beauty water, which cleanses and removes makeup. The brightening gel is amazing and I am really loving the priming moisturizing cream.

I also use their tinted moisturizer daily as I don’t like to wear a foundation. (not pictured)

They just launched a few matte long lasting lip colors. I have been a HUGE fan of their plumping nude glosses for every day.

I tried this long lasting matte and it does last for awhile! I will say that I felt like it was a tad drying, so I need to work on keeping my lips moisturized. It’s a super pretty color, this is Crush.

My friend Jenna sold me on these two products! This I saw HUGE results with. An instant glow and rejuvenated face for sure! They do sting a bit around my nose, but nothing terrible. I don’t use them every day but when I do, my skin looks and feels fabulous. It does have witch hazel which my friend Elizabeth told me could be a bit much on sensitive skin, but as long as I don’t use it daily it seems to be fine!

I was a really big fan of Younique’s Rose Water as a toner, but honestly after they changed the glass bottle to plastic, I was meh over it. Jenna also recommended this to me and WOW!! This stuff smells so good and I use it as a toner or even a mid day spritz to refresh!

If you are local, she knows her stuff and is excellent at what she does. Show owns Mint Skin Spa in Spencerport and I swear, before the end of the year I am booking a lash tint and lift with her!!

The Younique gals never steer ya wrong! Use the chapstick (vanilla) then line with Prim which is actually an eye pencil, followed up with a liquid lipstick called Stellar. Shop those products here!

And this is a bit blurry, but again I used Younique, it was palette 2! Here I have on my beloved Lipsense, I believe in Sheer Berry. I just love a good bold lip for date night! I still curl my eyelashes daily and I am obsessed with Younique’s Epic Mascara.

Never forget the brow powder either! I got mine years ago at my brow place.

As for my hair products, I have been trying something new, which I will blog ALL about soon! (Icy blonde, anyone!?0 I’m using the purple shampoo, by Joico found at Ulta or Amazon. I curled my hair with my chi straightener.

And lastly, I may not be 19 any more, but goodness gracious I still love me some good old fashion Bath & Body Works Fall scented lotions. They may have chemicals and I try not to use them all year, but once in awhile? Yes. Yes. Yes.

I figured I would start out the week with a really fluffy post! I’ll attribute it to my husband and I watching the Jersey Shore Family Vacation last night…what a train wreck! It really opened my eyes as to what on earth was I thinking watching that all of the time?! We barely turn on the tv and last night, as Joe built a fire (yes, we are still having Winter here in Upstate NY) we just decided we needed to turn our brains off.

Anyway, back to the spray tan–which I would recommend 1000x over and over! Whether you have an event you want to have an extra glow for or you enjoy looking sun-kissed, it’s totally worth the money!

I have only done two. One was in October before we went to Toronto for Joe’s birthday and the other was right before the Ugly Disco. Since then I have been applying Jergen’s fake tanner a few times to just keep the glow going a little longer.

I haven’t seen or felt the sun since September I bet. Sure, it pokes its head out, but there is something about getting a little healthy color from that big old ball of fire. Since that is not an option and tanning beds have a bad rap, the spray tan is the way to go!

I chose an Organic spray both times. I am sure you could totally get a decent tan at any place offering them, but I do have a special spot for small businesses in my heart. The most recent place I went to was Glow Tanning. The girl was a riot and she chose my color for me: “The Champagne of Spray Tans.” Girl spoke my love language! I knew enough to “prep” ahead of time and ran all my errands that day ready to be sprayed!

First Day with the tan–I don’t even wear makeup. I feel like it looks super dark!!

Once you find a place you’d like to try, ask them for any specific prep they need you to do. Most likely they’ll tell you the following, but I’m not an expert. You could always consult Google too!

The Prep

Any waxing should be done 24 hours prior.

Otherwise, this is what to expect of a spray tan!

Shower in the am and wash your hair! I forgot to do my hair so my first shower after spray tan, the second time, I felt like was too long as it takes FOREVER to do my hair. I highly recommend being able to do a quick rinse/shower the day of your event.

Exfoliate I prefer a sugar based scrub, but anything with a little grit will work! You really want to sloth off those dead skin cells to get to the newest layer of skin.

Shave You want to make sure you’re primed and ready to get the solution on your skin.

NO LOTION This was super hard for me!! I am a lotion girl and I hate the ‘dry feeling’ of no lotion. However, if you wear lotion prior to getting the spray tan, it may mix and cause blotches or it simple won’t allow the spray tan to stick.

Wear black/loose clothing You most likely will get spray tan on you, even if you try to air dry/fan dry a bit before getting dressed. Wear something baggy if possible and definitely black. I was even told to forgo the bra. Ok!

Bring a makeup wipe I tried not to wear a ton of makeup the day of my spray tan, but I did have a little tinted moisturizer on so I made sure to bring wipes to get it off.

You can wear bottoms or not. They usually tell you to do whatever you’re most comfortable doing.

Go the day before your event. I personally find the best color to be the very next day. The first day I looked pretty dark! I didn’t feel the need to wear makeup and I just looked like I hopped a plane from the islands. The tan will last about a week, if you drink a lot of water and slather that lotion on continuously after the tan!

Be prepared to spend a little money. I paid $40 and tipped the girl, but again this was an organic solution, it lasted a week and I didn’t get messy trying to prep myself for days with bottled lotions/sprays at home.

It all has a ‘scent.’ Again, I found the organic solution to be tolerable, but it still had that ‘fake tan smell’ if you’ve ever dabbled in fake tan before.

A few pics from our weekend in Toronto–I loved this glow!

I did add a little extra bronzer lotion to my legs too, which had glitter. Needed extra for the disco!!

Have you spray tanned before? Do you have a favorite place? I’ll share some of my at home fake tan products in another post, since I don’t see Mr. Sun coming out any time soon!